How it started

Ever sat on a flight and realized all the good views (or shade) were on the other side of the plane? ✈️

I took my parents on a flight not long ago. During takeoff at Schiphol, we had this stunning sunset right outside our window. But then the plane turned — and just like that, the sun shifted to the opposite side.

Right there, it struck me: why isn't there an easy way to check which side to sit on? Depending on your flight, you either want:

• 🌅 A scenic view — sit back and enjoy a breathtaking sunset or sunrise.
• 🕶️ Total shade — so you can sleep without fighting with the window blind.

Like a lot of developers, I have a graveyard of half-finished side projects. Lack of time or inspiration usually kills "the sparkle," even for ideas I was genuinely excited about.

This time was different. I didn't even Google whether something like this already existed — even if I was reinventing the wheel, it was going to be my wheel. I set myself a simple challenge: get a working MVP done before my flight back home.

Between my day job, family dinners, and diving in the Adriatic, I built it over a few days — integrating aviation and flight-tracking APIs, connecting solar-position APIs to figure out where the sun would actually be, and moving fast with my everyday stack (with some AI help to speed up the tedious parts).

My flight back home was the ultimate test — and the simulation proved to be spot on. 🎯

The vision from there: a browser extension. Select a flight on an airline or travel site, and instantly see sun-exposure stats before you book — no extra tab, no re-typing your flight number.

The extension

Life is beautiful when the Chrome Web Store approves your browser extension! 🎉 This pet project didn't become a zombie on GitHub, lost in the digital depths — not this time.

You might say extensions are a dead end in a mobile-first world — and in general, I'd agree! But for a decision like booking flights, most people still prefer desktop, where you have more information and more control. This is a "laptop purchase," and that's why I think the idea still holds up.

On supported airline and travel sites, SunSide quietly reads the flight number and date already on the page and tells you:

• 🌅 Sunny side vs. shaded side — based on the real sun position for that exact flight, date, and route.
• 🔄 How it flips — takeoff and landing can flip the sunny side compared to level cruise, and SunSide breaks that down separately.
• 🌇 Sunrise/sunset moments along your route, and which side to be looking out of.
• 🏔️ Scenic highlights your flight passes near — mountains, coastlines, canyons, and more.
• 📊 An interactive chart and map right in the popup, including zoomed-in takeoff and landing views.
• 🔖 A small, dismissible on-page badge that appears right when you select your flight, so your result is one glance away while you're picking a seat.

🔒 No account, no sign-up, free — and it only ever reads the flight info already visible on the page. Never your name, payment details, or login.

I'd love to hear what you think — feedback always welcome.